Unexpected Love
by Brittany2008
Summary: Amanda is one of Jake Ryan's closest friends. What happens when she falls for his greatest enemy. Ryan/OC
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Never Back Down or any of the characters, I do own my own characters though.

I hope you like my newest story!

~~Brittany2008

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"Amanda come on we got to go." My little brother Ethan shouted up at me. I grabbed my books and took off down the stairs. My alarm hadn't gone off this morning so I was running late.

"Sorry Ethan I just have to find my shoes then we can leave." I told him as I ran down the hall towards the kitchen. I found my navy blue converse and slipped them on before heading back the way I had just came.

"Okay lets go." I said as I pulled the door open and headed out into the thick Florida heat. We headed over to my car but just as I reached for the door handle my phone rang. I dug it out of my pocket and flipped it open. Glancing down at the number flashing on the small screen I just smiled.

"Max! How's my best friend in the whole wide world doing?" I asked as I climbed into my car, technically it was a truck but I called it a car.

"Ouch that hurts Amanda." A voice that didn't belong to Max Cooperman replied. I just laughed realizing who it was.

"Sorry Jake but it's the way I feel." I said as I started up my car and pulled out of the driveway.

"Still." He said faking a hurt voice.

"What's up Jake?" I asked.

"Could you give me and Max a ride to school?" he asked me.

"Sure I guess so I just have to drop my brother off then I can come get you. Are you at your place or Max's?" I asked as I turned down the road that led to Ethan's school.

"Mine" he answered. I pulled up in front of Ethan's school then. I said bye to and told him he needed to ride the bus home today before pulling away from the school and heading towards Jake's apartment.

"Okay I'll be there in five." I told him before ending the call. When I pulled up out front of Jake's apartment building I texted him to tell him I was here and then just waited for them to come down. When I saw them coming down the stairs I rolled down my window and waved at them. They walked over to my car, both of them just admiring it a little bit before they climbed inside.

"Dude when did you get this?" Max asked from the backseat, his eyes roaming over the spotless interior. Jake was doing the same from the passenger seat.

"I got it yesterday. It was a 'Sorry I missed your eighteenth birthday' present from my dad." I told them as I drove off in the direction of the school.

"Well hell I'd forgive him, this thing is awesome." Jake said as he fiddled with some of the buttons on the dash. See my mom passed away just after Ethan was born and my father never really recovered. He just threw himself into his work and now we hardly ever see him.

I practically raised Ethan myself with help from our house keeper Mrs. Johnson. She was more like family to us than our own father was. So I wasn't at all surprised when he didn't show up for my birthday last weekend or when he bought me a brand new Chevrolet Avalanche LTZ to up for it. He apologized and then promised me it would never happen again, but I knew better.

"So what are we doing tonight?" I asked the guys a few hours later as we sat down at an empty lunch table.

"Apparently there's this big party going down tonight. Everybody's going to be there." Max said as he pointed his signature video camera in my direction. I made a funny face at the camera.

"Beautiful" he said laughing.

"Why thank you." I said laughing as well.

"So Jake are you going to go tonight?" Max asked turning the camera on him now.

"I don't know..." he trailed off as something or rather someone caught his eye. I glanced behind me and saw who it was, Baja Miller.

"Dude don't even go there. Have you forgotten what happened the last time?" I said glancing at the yellowish bruise on the side of his face that was just now starting to fade away.

"Yeah but Jake's got some mad skills now. He could kick Ryan's ass this time." Max said. Then he and Jake did one of those lame handshakes across the table. I just rolled my eyes and stood up from the table.

"Whatever, I'll see you two losers after school." I told them before walking away from the table. I had almost made it the whole way out of the cafeteria when someone ran into me sending me falling to the floor. When I looked up at who it was I cringed. It was Ryan McCarthy and one of his goons. I think his name was Eric.

"Sorry babe I didn't see you there." Eric said holding his hand out to help me up. I just ignored it and picked myself up off the floor. I was about to walk away when two voices I knew joined the party.

"Watch where you're going asshole!" I heard Jake say as he and Max walked up behind me.

"What you finally stoop so low that you pick fights with girls now Eric?" Max added. I saw Eric's jaw clench and his fists tighten.

"Hey he said he was sorry." Ryan said looking directly at Jake.

"I don't care if he said he was sorry or not, he better watch where he's going from now on." Jake said. I could feel the tension rise and decided that I better intervene, and fast. Just as Jake and Ryan started to move towards each other I jumped in between them placing one of my hands on each of their chests. I couldn't explain it but the second my hand touched Ryan's strong chest a spark shot up my arm. I ignored it at the moment though.

"Hey back off, both of you." I said looking first at Ryan and then at Jake.

"He did apologize in his own weird way, but even if he didn't it doesn't concern either of you." I said eyeing both of them again. Neither of them looked at me at first they just stared each other down. I swear it was like they just needed to lay them out on the table and measure, ending this once and for all.

"Jake I can handle this." I said when his eyes finally met mine. He just looked at Ryan again before nodding his head and walking away, Max following close behind him.

"What you let your girlfriend fight your battles now?" Eric asked I saw Jake tense and stop walking.

"Hey he's not my boyfriend and it's not his battle its mine." I said looking him directly in the eye, he just laughed.

"Whatever. You talk all tough when your body guards are around." He said inclining his head in Jake and Max's direction. This time I was the one who laughed, he just looked at me like I was crazy.

"Oh Eric, Eric, Eric, what makes you think I need a bodyguard?" I asked sweetly before I reached out and shoved him as hard as I could. He fell backwards, knocking a trash can over in the process, and landed on his ass. Several people around us laughed. Eric just glared up at me.

"Sorry babe I didn't see you standing there." I said smirking at him before glancing at Ryan and walking out of the cafeteria, a huge smile on my face. The rest of the day went by smoothly and after the final bell rang signaling the end of the day I headed outside to meet up with the guys.

They met me in the parking lot next to my truck. I was about to get in when I saw Ryan and Baja standing next to his car. They were talking about something but I count tell what it was. I stood there for a second just watching them when Ryan glanced over and saw me.

He smiled coolly and then leaned in and kissed Baja full on the lips, he pulled back after a second and looked back at me winking before turning back towards Baja. I climbed into my truck then, ignoring the guys fighting over the radio station.

"Hey Amanda could you drop us off at Jakes and then come get us before the party tonight?" Max asked.

"Sure" I answered not really thinking about the party. I was thinking about something else, something I didn't quite understand. Before when I had touched Ryan's chest it felt like a shock of electricity had ran through me. Even after I had moved my hand away it still tingled, and then when I was him with Baja I felt strange.

It was almost like I was jealous, like I wanted to be the one he was kissing. I mean I had always felt that Ryan was amazingly good looking, what girl wouldn't, but I had never looked at him as more than the schools resident badass.

Before I knew it I had reached Jake's place. He and Max said goodbye and we set a time for me to come pick them up before the party. I drove home then and walked into the kitchen to start working on dinner. When I entered the room I found Ethan sitting at the counter working on his homework.

"So how's the homework going?" I asked him, laughing slightly at the glare he shot me. Ethan was a sophomore at a private school in town. Our dad had given us the choice to either stay in private school when we reached high school or to switch to public school.

Ethan decided to stay at private school with all his friends while I decided to take a chance on public school, and to be honest I'm glad I switched. It's not that I wasn't smart enough for private school, actually I was in the top of my class the last three years in a row, it's just I wanted to try something new.

"So what do you want for dinner?" I asked Ethan, he thought about it for a minute before answering.

"Breakfast" he said smiling at me. I just laughed.

"Okay what kind of breakfast?"

"French toast and eggs." He said before going back to his mountain of homework, another reason I was glad I went to public school, less homework.

I pulled out the ingredients and quickly made us dinner. When we finished eating we loaded our dishes into the dishwasher and then Ethan went back to his homework while I went upstairs to get ready.

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Just FYI the story will follow the movie in later Chapters but the first couple skew the timeline slightly so that I get my characters backstrory in. Sorry if this confused anyone. Basically the party where Ryan beat the crap out of Jake already took place in my version and this picks up with the rest of the movie a few weeks after that.


	2. Chapter 2

I took a quick shower and then walked over to my closet to pick out something to wear. I decided on a short denim skirt, a green silk camisole, and a pair of black strappy heels. I dried my hair and then curled it slightly so my long red locks fell in soft waves past my shoulders.

I did my makeup then. Using dark browns around my eyes making them look even greener than usual. I put on some mascara and a bit of lip gloss before grabbing my purse and heading downstairs. Ethan must have either finished his homework or had finally given up on it because he was sitting in front of the large living room television watching some random cooking show.

"What is it with you and cooking shows?" I asked him as I pulled my I.D., keys, and cash out of my purse.

"I don't know why but when I watch them they remind me of mom." He said turning to look at me. I just nodded. I knew what he meant, it was the reason I didn't watch the cooking channel.

"You going out?" he asked as I shoved my I.D. and some cash into the back pocket of my skirt.

"Yep and I won't be home until late so be good, and don't forget to lock the doors before you go to bed." I told him as I turned to leave.

"Yes mother" he said sarcastically. I just shook my head and laughed as I walked out of the house into the warm night air, pulling the door shut behind me. When I got to Jakes I called him to let him know I was there.

"Hey were not quite ready yet so you can come on up if you want." Jake told me.

"Okay" I said before ending the call and putting my phone back in my pocket. I climbed out of my truck then and walked up the flight of stairs leading to Jake's apartment. I knocked on the door and then just waited for it to open. When it finally did open it revealed Jake's little brother Charlie on the other side.

"Wow" he said looking me over from head to toe. Charlie was probably around thirteen so his reaction made me laugh.

"Why thank you Charlie." I told him, bending down slightly to kiss his cheek before walking past him and heading towards Jake's room. I knocked once and then opened the door. Max was sitting in Jake's desk chair messing with his camera. I could hear the water being shut off in the bathroom.

"You look insanely hot Amanda!" Max said as he turned his camera in my direction. I just shot him my best 'you better shut that thing off before I break it' look and he lowered the camera and pressed the power button. He had learned real quick what would happen if he didn't shut off his camera when I gave him that look.

Jake walked out of the bathroom then, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans and white Nike's. I had to admit Jake had an awesome body but I had never soon him as more than a friend. He grabbed the blue t-shirt that had been hanging on the back of the chair Max was currently occupying and pulled it on.

"You ready now?" I asked as he grabbed his phone.

"Yeah, let's go." He said leading us out of his room. "Charlie I want you to lock this door behind us." Jake told his little brother, whose brown eyes matched his in both size and shade of brown. I would bet money that Charlie will grow up to be as good as, if not better, looking than Jake. We left the apartment then, heading downstairs to pile into my car.

By the time we reached the party it was already in full swing. It took me a while to find a parking spot big enough for my truck to fit in, but I did finally find one. When we got inside Jake and Max went straight for the beer, while I grabbed a bottle of water instead. I had never been much of a drinker, besides I was the designated driver tonight and it was my job not to drink.

I looked around the room full of closely packed bodies not quite sure who I was looking for. When my eyes met those of none other than Ryan McCarthy however I instantly knew that I had been looking for him. He was dressed in a pair of faded denim jeans and a white polo shirt that hugged his chest and arms enough so that even clothed you could tell how well defined he was.

Our eyes locked and we just watched each other for a minute before Jake came up behind me. I looked away for a moment before I glanced back in Ryan's direction, only he wasn't there anymore.

"I'm bored" Max said as he walked over to us, a beer in one hand and his camera in the other.

"Yeah, me too." Jake added as he finished his beer, tossing it into the trashcan next to him.

"Then dance with me." I said grabbing his hand and dragging him along behind me as I walked our onto the packed dance floor.

"I don't know how to dance." He started to explain to me but I interrupted him.

"Liar I have seen you dance before. Now I want to dance, and you're going to dance with me." I said as I started to move with the loud music, Jake stood there for a second but finally gave in and started to move right along with me.

As we danced my eyes drifted across the dance floor and found a pair of familiar blue ones gazing back, Ryan. I continued to dance with Jake my back pressed against his chest as we moved to the beat, but as I looked at Ryan I couldn't help but wish that I was pressed up against his chest right now, our bodies moving together to the loud music.

When the song ended I told Jake I needed some air, which was true, I needed to clear my head. I walked outside and into the cool night air. The temperature had dropped some since we had been here so the soft breeze actually gave me goose bumps. I walked out into the large garden admiring the roses that lined the path.

It was dark and quiet seeing as I was the only one out here, or so I had thought. I jumped slightly when someone stepped on a twig behind me, sapping it loudly. When I turned I came face to face with the reason I had needed some air to begin with.

"What are you doing out here?" I asked my voice shaking softly.

"Just wanted to get some air" Ryan said as he moved past me slowly. I could smell his cologne as he walked by and my mouth actually began to water. God he smelled amazing.

"You seem to know your way around the dance floor." he said his voice close to my ear. He was standing close behind me. I could almost feel the heat radiating from his body.

"I guess" I said, trying to speak as little as possible afraid that my voice would betray me.

"Well Iowa didn't seem to mind dancing with you." He said his breath hot on my neck. I turned to face him now.

"Jake's my friend." I said. Ryan just looked at me his eyes staring into mine like he could see all the way into my soul.

Ryan took a step towards me and I took a step back, my back hitting a hard rough object. I had forgotten that there was a tree behind me, and now I was pinned between it and Ryan. He leaned closer so that our faces were only a few inches apart.

My eyes flashed down to his perfect lips. They looked so soft and inviting, like you could get lost in them for hours, and in that moment I wanted to. Just the thought of his lips on mine caused a soft moan to escape my lips. Ryan smiled his sexy as hell smile and leaned in a little closer.

"All you have to do is ask." He said his breath brushing over my lips, they parted slightly. My eyes moved back up to his. I leaned as close as I could to him my lips lightly brushing over his.

"I don't kiss guys that have girlfriends." I said before slipping by him and going back inside. I found Jake and Max near the front door.

"Where have you been, we've been looking everywhere for you." Jake asked an older brother tone to his voice.

"I went outside to get some air." I told him, I saw him relax a little.

"Well we wanted to head out, is that okay?" I glanced behind me to see Ryan standing with Baja, his eyes glued on me.

"Yeah lets go." I said.

They walked out the door in front of me, but before I left I looked back at Ryan one more time. I smiled at him, winked and then walked out the door. I drove the guys to Max's house which wasn't too far from mine, and then headed home.

When I got there I checked to make sure Ethan was home and then I headed upstairs to go to bed. I decided to check my email and log onto my facebook page real quick before going to bed. When I logged on I noticed that I had a new message in my inbox.

I clicked on it and saw that it was from Ryan. I had forgotten I was friends with him on here. I opened the message to find a time and place. The time was later tonight and the place was the park not far from where I lived. I glanced at the clock.

If I left right now I could make it. I thought about it for a minute before deciding not to go. I typed a short reply to his message and sent it before logging off and going to bed.

That night my dreams were filled with thoughts and scenarios of what could have happened if I had gone tonight, and all of them centered around a certain blue eyed blonde boy with the body of a Greek god.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day I avoided Ryan completely, at least until that afternoon after school had finally ended. Of course as my luck would have it who was parked right next to my car, none other than Ryan McCarthy. Ryan was standing at the back of his black Cadillac Escalade. He was talking with Eric and another one of his friends that I didn't recognize right away.

When my eyes met his, my body reacted immediately, I felt my body flood with heat as my heart started beating a hundred miles a minute. Eric saw me then and moved over to block my path.

"Hey baby, you looking for me?" he asked moving towards me.

"Nope just going to my car." I said moving around him, unlocking my car as I went. I could tell he was about to say something but someone else joined the group and he got really quiet. It was Baja, she and Ryan were arguing but I couldn't see what it was about.

She turned to leave and he grabbed her arm to stop her. That's when Jake showed up. Baja moved in front of him to stop him and then they both walked away leaving Ryan standing there alone. I felt bad for him, but a part of me wanted to walk over to him right now and kiss him into next week.

I couldn't though, at least not yet. I watched Ryan as he turned around and walked around to the driver's side, pausing to look at me over the bed of my truck before climbing into his car. He drove away after that, I stood there for a few seconds before climbing into my own car and heading home.

I decided to stay home tonight. I had a massive amount of homework to do and by the time I was finished I was ready to go to bed. For the second night in a row I dreamt about Ryan, and when I woke up the next morning I was so frustrated I could have screamed.

The first half of the day went okay, but when I was on my way to lunch things got much, much better. I was walking from the music room towards the cafeteria when I decided to take the short cut that I had used a few times before. It took you outside so most people didn't use it to avoid the heat, but for some reason I was drawn towards it today.

I made my way outside and as I started past the area under the bleachers an arm reached out and pulled me underneath the bleachers and into almost complete darkness. They pushed me up against the wall of the building and moved so that their body was standing close to mine.

"Do you have any idea what you are doing to me?" Ryan asked me, his body brushing lightly against mine.

"I don't know what you mean." I said my voice almost a whisper.

"God even your voice is driving me crazy." He said his voice coming out low and hoarse, making it even sexier than it usually is.

"Then why don't you do something about it." I asked my hands moving up his arms and over his shoulders before moving up into his short hair. He groaned before leaning down and capturing my lips with his.

The second our lips met my body arched into his, he pushed me back against the wall then his body molded tightly to mine. His hips ground against mine then and I gasped. Taking the opportunity Ryan went about exploring my mouth as he deepened the kiss.

His lips were soft as they moved against mine. His hips ground into mine again and I couldn't hold back the moan that escaped me then. We kissed like that until I heard the faint ringing of the bell signaling the end of lunch. I broke the kiss then and pushed Ryan away slightly. He tried to kiss me again but I held him back.

"What's wrong?" he asked his voice rough.

"We have to stop, we have class." I told him.

"There's no way I'm going to class like this." He said raising an eyebrow before glancing down. My eyes followed his and I instantly saw what he meant.

"I'm sorry Ryan, really, but I have to go. I have a test to take." I told him as I moved away from the wall.

Turning us so that he was now the one against the wall I felt bad about leaving him like that, but an idea popped into my head as I was about to leave. I leaned in close to his body, running my hand down his chest as I spoke.

"I will make it up to you, I promise." I whispered in his ear before brushing my fingers over the prominent bulge in his pants. As I brushed against him I lightly licked the edge of his ear before biting the lobe softly. He hissed and moved to grab me, but I was already gone.

There was no way I was going to pass my history test after that. That afternoon after school when I went out to my car I saw that Ryan was parked next to my car again. I didn't see him anywhere around so I went over to the passenger side of my car to unload some of my books. I opened the back door of my truck and threw my backpack inside. I shut my door then, but when I turned around to walk to the other side of my car a pair of muscled arms stopped me.

"That was a mean trick you played on me today." Ryan said as he pushed me back against the black exterior of my car.

"I'm sorry, but I did promise to make it up to you." I said hooking my fingers in his belt loops and pulling his hips towards mine. I saw his jaw clench and his eyes close at my actions.

"See you later Ryan." I whispered before moving around to the other side of my car. I smiled at him through my passenger window before pulling out of the space and heading home. I glanced at my phone and saw that I had a new voicemail from my brother so I clicked play to listen to it.

"Hey sis I was just calling to tell you that I'm crashing with Sam at Tommy's tonight so I won't be home till sometime tomorrow. Love you sis, talk to you later." Ethan's message ended than and I smiled thinking about having the house all to myself tonight.

When I got home I went upstairs and changed into something a little more comfortable. I slipped on a pair of old short shorts that I hardly wore anymore because they showed just a little too much of my ass, and a simple plain white tank top.

I flicked on my computer and logged onto my facebook just to check it. I checked to see who was logged on and smiled when I saw Ryan's name on the list. I went up to my status bar and typed in a new post. It said something along the lines of 'I'm home alone all night long' or something to that affect at least.

I logged off then and walked downstairs. I hadn't made it very far when my phone buzzed in my hand. It was a text message, but my phone didn't recognize the number. When I opened it I couldn't help but smile.

'It's Ryan' the message said. 'Hey Ryan' I typed back as I walked into the kitchen for something to eat. I glanced at the clock, it was almost seven. I noticed that the sun was already starting to dip behind the clouds as I opened the fridge.

I pulled out some leftovers from a few nights ago and popped them in the microwave to heat up. My phone buzzed again. 'You want some company tonight?' Ryan asked. I smiled again. 'Give me one good reason why I should invite you over here?' I typed back. A few seconds passed but this time instead of a text, Ryan called me.

"Hello?" I answered.

"You know damn well that I could give you a lot more than one reason." He said, his double meaning obvious. My body warmed instantly the heat pooling between my legs. Luckily the microwave beeped before I could respond I turned off the timer and then responded.

"You sound a little cock there Mr. McCarthy" I said laughing softly.

"I'll show you cocky." He said before ending the call. I looked down at my phone for a second trying to figure out what he meant when there was a knock on the door. I peered through the peep hole and smiled when I saw who it was. I opened the door I let him inside.

"What can I do for you Ryan?" I asked innocently as I wandered into the living room. I sat down on the couch and smiled as he sat down next to me.

"You can get that amazing ass of yours over here and kiss me." he said. I leaned closer to him but as he went to kiss me I pulled back slightly. I stood up from the couch and moved to stand in front of him. I smiled at him as I moved to straddle his waist, my hands moving up into his hair in the process.

"Like this?" I whispered before pressing my lips to his. As our lips moved together I couldn't help but press my hips down into his. He moaned at my actions. His hands were everywhere on me, starting in my hair and then moved down my body.

When he reached my bare thighs I couldn't hold back the moan that escaped me. The feeling of his hands on my bare skin had even more heat pooling between my legs. My hands ran down his front and slipped under his shirt. I ran my hands back up his chest raising his shirt as I went. He broke the kiss then but only long enough to pull off his shirt.

I had seen him shirtless before, but this was different. I ran my fingers across his chest, running my nails lightly over his nipples in the process. His hips jerked at this and a deep groan escaped his lips. I brushed my fingers over his rock hard abs, loving how they twitched at my touch.

Feeling brave my hands moved lower, rubbing him through his pants. He groaned again and I felt him grow harder beneath my touch. As we continued to kiss I took his lip into my mouth, biting it lightly. His hand moved around to cup my ass then, pulling my hips as close to his as possible in the process.

I moaned as I felt him brush against my most sensitive spot through the thin layers separating us. I pulled away from him then, climbing off the couch to stand in front of him. I smiled at him and then walked around the couch. I glanced back to see that he hadn't moved yet so I walked over behind where he was sitting and leaned close to his ear.

"Are you coming?" I asked before biting his earlobe lightly. He groaned at me before standing up and turning towards me. His pants looked tight and uncomfortable judging by his current condition. He smirked at me when he saw where I had been looking.

"You better run." He said his voice deep. I smirked back at him and slowly turned to face the stairs. I glanced back over my shoulder to look at him. I winked and then took off towards the stairs at full speed.

I could hear Ryan chasing me as I took the stairs two at a time and ran down the hallway leading to my room. When I reached my large bedroom I ran straight for the bed, plopping down on it when I reached it. I only had to wait a second for Ryan to enter my room, and when he did I never wanted him to leave.

He walked over to the edge of my bed and watched me as he reached down to undo his jeans. I reached out and grabbed his hands to stop him. Instead I stood from the bed and turned us so that his back was now facing the bed. I pushed him down onto the soft blankets that covered the mattress.

He propped himself up on his elbows and watched me as I kissed down his body stopping when I reached his jeans. I leaned over him, our lips only inches apart, as I slipped my hand down into his jeans. He bit his lip letting his head fall back as I grabbed him.

I pulled my hand back out of his jeans, but before he could protest I had them undone and completely off him. Leaving him there in nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs, damn he looked sexy in black. I reached up to grab his boxers and pull them down but he stopped me. He pulled me onto the bed, my body falling on top of his, and flipped us over so that he was on top.

"You first" he whispered in my ear before kissing my neck softly. He moved down my neck slowly and when he reached my collar bone he bit it softly. I squirmed under him as his hands moved down my sides and under my thin tank top.

He pushed it up my body, his fingers lightly grazing my breasts in the process. I moaned loudly. I felt Ryan chuckle softly at my reaction. His lips left my skin as he pulled my shirt up over my head, revealing my dark purple satin bra. He hands moved to cup them, and then he moved on to fondling my nipples which were already painfully hard from his touch.

Needing more contact I reached behind myself and unhooked my bra. Ryan pulled it off my body then, his eyes roaming down my almost completely exposed body. I felt the blush that warmed my cheeks under his stare, but after a moment or two his eyes returned to mine.

"You are beautiful" he said before capturing my lips with his. His hands moved down my body then, moving slowly over my ass and then down my thigh. When his hand reached the back of my knee he pulled it up and hooked it over his hip.

This position made it easy for me to feel how badly Ryan wanted me. I moved then, not entirely sure how I did it but I ended up on top of Ryan. I sat up so that I was straddling his waist. I ground against him once. His eyes flashing to mine as he growled at me, I moved down his body until I reached the edge of the bed. When I stood I hooked my fingers in the waistband of his boxers, pulling them down completely.

I had thought that the sight of Ryan McCarthy fully clothed was amazing, but the sight of him naked was nearly heart stopping. He smirked at me again and then sat up, his feet hanging off the edge of the bed. He reached out grabbed the waistband of my shorts pulling them down, leaving me in only my purple satin boy shorts.

His fingers played with the smooth fabric before pushing them down my body as well. Ryan looked at me for a minute before standing up. His eyes met mine as he leaned in and lightly pressed his lips to mine. He turned us and slowly laid me back on the bed.

This was a new side of him that I had never seen before. He was being almost sweet. I moved to the center of the bed and crawled under the blanket pulling them back so he could join me. He lay next to me for a moment placing soft kisses down my neck and across my color bone.

"Ryan" I said his name softly. He looked up at me then his eyes gazing into mine. My lips captured his then as I pulled his body on top of mine. I let my knees fall apart so that he could position himself between them.

He rested most of his weight on his forearms but he rested enough of it on me so that I could feel him above me. His rock hard chest pressed against mine, my nipples brushing against his.

"Ryan" I said his name again as I lifted my hips to meet his. I felt him chuckle softly at my eager tone of voice. He moved his hips then so that his length brushed against me and I couldn't help but moan loudly.

"You ready baby?" he asked, rubbing against me again. All I could do was moan a reply. I felt him smile against my lips. He positioned himself at me entrance, and then slowly pressed into me. When he was full inside of me I could feel my muscles already twitching in anticipation.

Ryan pulled out slowly and then slammed back into me. As he moved his thrusts became faster and harder until I finally felt my breaking point getting closer. I was suddenly thankful that nobody was home. Because there was no way that we wouldn't have disturbed them by now.

After several more powerful thrusts I felt myself fall over the edge. It was like I was floating on a cloud. I felt Ryan follow me only a few seconds later. My body milking him for all he had. We just laid there a minute before Ryan rolled away from me.

The loss of contact made me shiver but I still wasn't completely able to move my limbs yet so I just lay there, trying to catch my breath.

"Well, that was definitely more than one good reason." I said laughing softly. Ryan just chuckled. I glanced over at him and saw at him and saw that his arm was draped over his eyes. His chest was covered in a light sheen of sweat and was still rising and falling at a pretty rapid pace.

I'm not sure how long we lay there, but I do vaguely remember Ryan pulling me up against him as he reached over and turned off the light, flooding the room in darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning when I woke up I felt well rested. As I opened my eyes I realized that Ryan was still lying next to me, his bare chest rising and falling slowly letting me know he was still in a deep sleep. When I glanced down his body I noticed a very prominent bulge under the sheets. I had to bite my lip so I wouldn't laugh. I had always heard that this sometimes happens to guys but I had never seen it myself.

I took one last look at Ryan's beautiful sleeping face and then I quietly climbed out of bed. I quickly tiptoed over to my bathroom, shutting the door behind me. I turned on the shower so the water could start heating up and then turned to look in the mirror. My lips were dark pink in color and a little swollen, my hair was insanely messy, and my eyes were bright and alert. I looked like a completely different person.

When the water was hot enough I climbed into the shower. As I stood under the warm spray of water I hadn't really been paying attention to what was going on around me, so I didn't hear the bathroom door open. I was just about to turn the water off when a pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist.

I jumped a little and spun to face the person behind me. My legs almost turned to jelly at the sight of Ryan. When I had jumped I had moved back so now he was directly under the spray of the shower. His hair was dark blonde now and his skin was covered in tiny droplets of water. God it should be a crime to look so good.

"Good morning" he said as he pressed his lips against mine, apparently his condition had gotten worse. I just smiled.

"Apparently" he smirked at my reply before pressing his lips to mine.

"How are you doing this to me?" he asked his voice deep.

"I don't know what you mean." I said as I ran my hand down his chest and across his abs.

"How is it that just the thought of you has me hard?" he asked, emphasizing his point by pressing his lips to mine. All I could do was smile.

"I don't know baby, but why don't you ponder that while you wash up." I said smirking before slipping away from him and quickly exiting the shower and bathroom. I just towel dried my hair and then threw it up into a messy ponytail. I pulled on a new set of underwear and then threw on a pair of jeans and a black tank top.

I checked the time before heading downstairs, it was only nine so I had a few hours before Ethan would be home. I made my way to the kitchen and started mixing together some pancake batter as I fried some bacon on the stove. I hadn't been downstairs long when Ryan strolled into the kitchen. He was wearing his clothes from the night before. He walked over to stand behind me.

"That was a very dirty trick." He said his voice very close to my ear.

"Sorry, I just needed some food. You wore me out last night." I said turning to face him, he smiled.

"Right back at you" he said before moving back around the counter to sit at the bar across from me. I made him up a plate of food, and he ate it all. Considering how fast he ate it he must really have been as hungry as I was. When we were both done I took our plates and stuck them in the sink to deal with later.

"So now what?" I asked as I walked back around the counter. I climbed up onto Ryan's lap, wrapping my arms around his neck. His hands moved down and grabbed my hips. He pulled me closer to him and then smirked at me before capturing my lips with his.

My hands moved up into his short blonde hair as he continued to kiss me. After a few minutes I had to break the kiss because my lungs were screaming for oxygen. His lips moved down to my neck and started working on a spot just below my ear, he was marking me and just the thought of what he was doing made my heart skip a beat.

Just as I was about to pull his lips back up to mine, my cell phone buzzed on the counter behind me. I grabbed it and looked at the number flashing across the screen. My blood went ice cold almost instantly. I stopped moving all together, this got Ryan's attention. He pulled back to look at me just as I answered my phone.

"Hey Jake, what's up?" I asked. Ryan smirked at me, but I could have sworn I saw a flash of anger in his eyes. He leaned in and started placing kisses down my neck again. I had to bite my lip to keep from moaning into the phone.

"Wait what?" I asked not hearing what Jake had just said.

"I said Max and I got done early and we were going to go down to the water sports complex and you're going with us." Jake said laughing. Ryan's hands moved back to grab my ass, pulling me against him again.

"I don't know man I'm kind of tired." I tried to keep my sentences as short as I could.

"Were not taking no for an answer. Look we are like five minutes from your house so you better go get ready." His words made me jump off Ryan's lap, ending the call in the process.

"You have to leave, now!" I said running into the next room and grabbing his shoes. I threw them at him as he walked into the room behind me.

"What I can't stay and say hi?" he asked smirking at me. I just looked at him.

"You know the answer to that. Jake is one of my best friends and he hates you, so you cannot be here when he arrives." I said as I made sure nothing was messed up in the living room from the night before. Ryan just laughed as he moved to stand in front of me.

"I'll see you later then." He said before leaning down and pressing his lips to mine. My phone buzzed again, it was a text from Jake. 'We're almost there you ready?'

"Okay you have to go now" I said as I pulled Ryan along behind me as I headed out the door. I pulled him over to his black suv and waited for him to climb in it. He kissed me once more and then drove away. I waited until he had turned out onto the main road to breathe easy, but not two minutes later I saw Max's mustang pull in.

I ran back inside and upstairs to my room. I glanced around. My bed was beyond repair so I just skipped it completely as I ran over to my dresser. I dug around for my swim suit and found the one I wanted just as I heard the door open downstairs.

"Amanda you ready?" I heard Jake yell.

"In a second!" I shouted back before rushing into the bathroom to change. When I emerged from the bathroom I found Jake and Max in my room.

"You ready yet?" Max asked as he saw me leave the bathroom.

"Yes" I said as I let my hair down. I had thrown on a little makeup while I changed so I was good to go. I slipped on my black flip flops and checked myself in the mirror one last time. I had picked a light emerald green bikini that fit me well.

The color contrasted nicely with my hair. I led the guys back out of my house and outside where I was forced into the almost nonexistent backseat of Max's car. I had to sit sideways and stretch my legs out the side window near Jakes head just so I would fit comfortably.

"Dude your feet stink." Jake joked as he pushed my feet away from him, I laughed.

"No they don't" I said pushing them back towards his face. It wasn't a very long drive to the water sports complex and before I knew it I was climbing out of the back seat, or trying to at least. Jake held his hand out to help me and I took it gladly. I was almost out when my foot got caught and I went falling forward, thankfully Jake was there to catch me.

"Thanks buddy" I said as I stood up.

"No problem" he said smiling at me.

"Well would you look at that, the new guys just got girls falling for him right and left." I knew that voice, and if its owner was here that meant that Ryan was here to. When I turned my fears came true, Eric was walking by, Ryan not far behind him. He laughed at Eric's joke but the expression didn't touch his eyes. He was mad, and I could tell.

"Screw you guys." Jake said before throwing his arm around my shoulder and leading me in the direction of the picnic tables that were scattered around the complex. As we sat down I noticed the while bandage on Jake's hand. I grabbed his hand in mine.

"What the hell happened to you, you punch a brick wall or something?" I asked as I pulled the bandage back enough so that I could see his badly bruised knuckles.

"Nah he just kicked these guy's asses yesterday, Look." Max said before holding up his phone for me to see. I watched the video of Jake as he beat the crap out of these four losers driving a yellow hummer. When the clip was over I just sighed and looked at Jake.

"You know Roka's going to kick you out for this right." I said raising an eyebrow at him.

"How's he ever going to find out?" Jake asked before standing up to throw away the trash from the hot dog he had grabbed before we had sat down. As soon as he left the table these two girls leaned over to ask Max about Jake and boy did he lay it on thick, I think I zoned out about the time he said he was Jakes trainer.

Someone moved behind me and I turned to see Baja walk up to Jake. She said something but I wasn't entirely sure what, and then walked away after Jake most likely made some smart ass remark. He went to the bathroom then and I jumped up and chased after Baja. I called her name and she turned to look at me.

"Hey Amanda, how are you doing?" she asked.

"Good" I told her as I pushed my hair behind my ear. Her eyes got a little wider and she smiled at me.

"You might want to leave your hair the way it was, that is one massive hickey on your neck." I felt my face heat up as she reached out and moved my hair to hide the mark on my neck.

"Thanks" I said.

"Who gave you that?" I couldn't keep my eyes from glancing in Ryan's direction. Of course she noticed.

"Oh I see. Just be careful Amanda." She went to walk away but I reached out to stop her.

"Wait, I know Jake can be a jerk sometimes, but he really does like you. Just give him a little time to cool down." she smiled at me and just nodded before turning back around. I turned around as well and started off back towards the table Max was still occupying. This time she was the one to call my name. I turned back to look at her.

"I won't tell anyone you know, about…" she said indicating to the same spot on her neck that my hickey was located.

"Thanks" I said before continuing towards the table. Max had left the table apparently so I started off towards the parking lot to find him. I had just passed the guys bathroom when the door opened revealing a much too smug Ryan. I moved around the corner quickly and waited a few seconds, hoping my gut instincts were wrong. Unfortunately not a minute after Ryan had left the bathroom Jake emerged, and he was limping.

"Jake what happened?" I asked as I rushed over to his side. I moved his arm to over my shoulders and helped him walk. I glanced back behind me to see Ryan watching us over his shoulder, and he didn't seem happy. I helped Jake out to Max's car. I climbed in first and then Jake climbed into the passenger's seat. Max turned the key and then drove away.

"What's the beat down?" Jake asked. My stomach lurched.

"No way, absolutely not!" I started but was cut off by Max.

"Dude you have to do it, it's awesome." He said his eyes getting excited.

"What is it?" Jake asked.

"It would be easier to show you." Max said and then turned down the road that led to his house. Several hours later I was still sitting there on Max's couch listening to them talk on and on about the beat down. I looked at the clock then and noticed that it was almost eight at night. I stoop up then.

"Okay Max, either you are going to get your ass up and drive me home or I'm taking your keys and driving myself." I said, he and Jake just laughed before standing up as well.

This time I made Jake ride in the back, and honestly it had to have been one of the funniest damn things I have ever seen in my life. By the time we reached my house it was already dark out. Max pulled up near the front door and let me out, waiting a minute for Jake to change seats before driving off back down my long driveway. I turned to go inside when I heard something behind me move.

"So did you have fun today?" I jumped as Ryan appeared out of thin air. His arms were folded in front of his chest and his jaw was set. I could tell he was upset about something but honestly so was I.

"You have got a lot of nerve showing up here after what you did." I said my hands on my hips. The cool breeze hit me then and I wanted to wrap my arms around myself for warmth but I didn't budge.

"All I did was show Iowa that I am still the best around here." He said smiling a smile that both scared me and made me want to take him in my arms and do unmentionable things to me.

"So you jumped him in the bathroom to prove you're the king. Ryan, when is it going to dawn on you that Jake doesn't want to be the best? He just wants to be left alone." I said as I took a few steps towards him.

"I suppose you would know all about what Jake wants wouldn't you?" he asked his words knocking the breath right out of me.

"You know I actually thought I felt something between us last night, but I guess I was wrong." I said. I turned to leave then but he grabbed my arm to stop me.

"Don't…" he started, his eyes looking directly into mine.

"Goodnight Ryan." I said before pulling my arm free and walking straight into the house, shutting and locking the door behind me. I peered out the small window next to the door and watched as Ryan climbed into his suv and drove off.

I felt the tears forming in my eyes and ran up the stairs to my room. I collapsed on my bed just as my tears started pouring down my face. I pulled my blankets up around me and cuddled up with one of my pillows, but that only made it worse.

Everything smelled like Ryan. I jumped out of bed and pulled all the blankets and pillows on the floor. I gathered them in my arms and took them downstairs to the laundry room. I shoved in the sheets and my blanket and both pillow cases. I slammed the washer door closed and hit the start button.

My tears continued to fall as I made my way back upstairs and as I remade my bed. By the time I was done my tears had stopped and now all I felt was anger. I changed my clothes and put my hair up before climbing into bed. My emotions were running haywire. They kept switching from sad, to angry, and then back to sad.

Sure I was sad about what happened with Ryan, but I was mostly just angry with myself. I should have known better than to get involved with Ryan to begin with. He was one of my best friends arch rivals for Christ's sake, what was I thinking. The only problem was no matter how bad I felt about betraying Jake, I still missed Ryan.

It made no sense to me, two days ago and I couldn't care less about Ryan McCarthy, but now I don't know what we are. I had feelings towards Ryan that I couldn't explain it was almost like, no that couldn't possibly be it after only two days. It was like I was falling for him.

The second I realized that's what was happening my phone buzzed. I picked it up to see that it was Ryan, I hit the ignore button. I wasn't ready to talk to him just yet. My phone beeped after a minute letting me know that he had left a voicemail. I didn't listen to it. I just sat my phone down next to me and went to sleep, thoughts of Ryan flooding my dreams.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning I woke up to a knock on my door.

"Yeah" I called still not fully awake yet. The door swung open to reveal Ethan. I could tell he had just woken up too because his short brown hair stood straight up in several places.

"You got a visitor." He said before moving aside to let someone past him. The second I saw his blue eyes enter my room my heart started beating a little faster.

"Thanks Ethan" I said sitting up in bed so that I could see Ryan better. Ethan just nodded his head and then left, shutting the door behind him. We both just looked at each other for a moment before Ryan spoke.

"I'm sorry about last night, I didn't mean what I said." He told me as he came over to stand by my bed.

"I know. I'm sorry too it's just Jake is one of my best friends and if this is going to work with us you have to understand and accept that." I told him he just nodded. I smiled at him and held my hand out to him. He took it and I slowly pulled him down next to me. He kicked off his shoes and crawled under the blankets with me. I curled up next to him, my head resting on his chest.

"What do you want to do today?" he asked me his fingers brushing across my shoulder.

"Nothing, I just want to lay here with you." I said sitting up slightly so that I could see his face. He smiled at me.

"That sounds perfect." He said before leaning down and placing a feather light kiss on my lips. I laid my head back down on his chest and after only a few moments fell back asleep. A while later I woke up to my phone buzzing. I had a new text message from Max.

'Hey Jake and me were going to go see a movie you want to go?' I typed him a short reply that I wasn't feeling very well and that I was just going to stay home today and then switched my phone off before turning back towards Ryan's still sleeping form.

His chest moved up and down slowly emphasizing the fact that he was in a deep sleep. Wanting to feel his skin against mine I slowly unbuttoned his black shirt pushing the pieces of fabric away from his perfect chest. I laid my head back down closing my eyes as I slowly traced patterns across his stomach with my fingertips.

"That tickles" he voice startled me a little.

"I thought you were asleep." I said leaning over him more so that my lips were only inches away from his.

"I was" he said before pulling my face closer to his, our lips crashing together. All of my worries and fears from last night vanished the second our lips met. I melted under his touch. He rolled over then so that his body hovered over mine. I pushed his loose shirts off of his shoulders and tossed it across the room. My hands then went down and unbuttoned his shorts pushing them down his legs before kicking them to the floor. Ryan pulled my shirt up off me and was about to unhook my bra when my door swung open again, but this time is wasn't my brother on the other side.

"Dude I'm telling you it looks just like Ryan's car…" Max was saying as he walked into my room, Jake following close behind him. The second they saw Ryan and me together they froze. Jake just stood there for a second before he spoke.

"We thought we would bring by a couple of movies since you weren't felling good, but it seems that you are felling much better now." He turned to leave then, Max following close behind. I grabbed my shirt from where Ryan had thrown it and then chased after them.

"Jake, Max, wait! Let me explain!" I shouted as I ran outside after them.

"What the hell is there to explain Amanda? The guy is a bastard, hell he came after me just yesterday and here you are screwing him behind my back. I thought we were friends!" Jake said as he stood next to Max's car.

"It's not like that Jake, I think I…" I started to say but Jake cut me off.

"Don't you dare say you love him!" he shouted.

"What if I do?" I screamed back. "Haven't you ever cared about someone so much, but never understood why?" he just looked at me for a second before climbing into the car.

"From this moment on we are no longer friends." He said simply his words cutting me to the bone. I stood there frozen to the spot and watched them drive away. I felt my tears start to form again. I swear people have got to stop making me cry. I walked back inside then and headed upstairs to my room.

When I got there Ryan was still sitting on the bed. He looked at me as I walked in, my tears wet on my cheeks.

"You okay?" he asked, I just shook my head no and then climbed back into bed. "Do you want me to leave?" he asked his voice low. I looked up at him.

"No, I just want you to hold me for a while." I told him. He lay back down and then pulled me in tight next to him. I laid my head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around me. I laid there for a while before speaking.

"Ryan" I whispered.

"Yeah" he said just as softly.

"I think I'm falling in love with you." I told him, he was quiet for a moment but then he responded.

"I think I'm falling in love with you too." He said before kissing the top of my head. I dozed off then, a smile on my face.

Have you ever had one of those moments where you felt like everyone was staring at you? Well in my case they actually were. When I walked into school on Monday all eyes were on me, but then again that might be because I was walking hand in hand with Ryan.

Everyone knew that I was, or had been at least, Jake Tyler's best friend. Speaking of Jake he and Max just turned the corner in front of us. The second they saw me they stopped. Jake had a look of disgust on his face, but Max gave me a sympathetic smile and then followed Jake when he walked away.

I instantly felt bad again. Ryan must have noticed my mood change because he just squeezed my hand lightly and then continued down the hall. Lunch was worse though. I used to sit with Jake and Max everyday but now I couldn't and unfortunately Ryan didn't have the same lunch as I did today. So I just went out and sat on the bleachers overlooking the football stadium.

"You okay?" I heard a familiar voice ask me, I turned to see Baja walking towards me.

"Not really" I said smiling slightly.

"I heard about what happened." She said as she sat down next to me.

"What should I do? Jake won't even look at me." I told her.

"Just tell him the truth. He's probably more upset about the fact that you hid it from him."

"How about you, did you talk to him yet?" I asked trying to change the subject.

"Yes and I'm glad I did." She said smiling. I was about to say something else but the bell rang signaling the end of lunch. We both left the bleachers then and slowly made our way back into the school.

"Promise me one thing." Baja said before we had to go our separate ways.

"What?"

"Talk to Jake" she said smiling before she headed down the hall. I pulled out my phone then and typed a quick message to Jake. 'Meet me by my car after school. We need to talk' I hit send and then headed off in the direction of my next class. The rest of the day felt like it drug on but finally the bell rang signaling the end of school for the day.

I was one of the first ones out of the classroom but I didn't make it very far, almost as soon as I had walked out of the classroom a pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist.

"Hey baby, how was your day?" Ryan asked his voice deep and seductive.

"It was okay I guess." I couldn't help but smile at him.

"You want to come back to my house. Some of the guys are coming over."

"I'm sorry baby that sounds fun, but I have something I have to do." I didn't go into much detail knowing he would be upset about me going to meet Jake, but it was something I had to do. I could tell he was bummed by my answer so I smiled at him and then added to my answer.

"But I could come by in like an hour." I said. He smiled this time.

"Okay, I'll see you then." He said before pressing his lips to mine once before heading towards the parking lot. I had parked on the other side of the school so I turned and headed in the opposite direction.

When I reached my truck I threw my books on the backseat and then walked around and lowered the tailgate. I hopped up onto it and waited for Jake. He showed up after about ten minutes and just stood there looking at me for a second.

"I'm glad you came." I told him.

"Max told me I would have to ride the bus from now on if I didn't." he said as he moved to sit next to me on the tailgate.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want you to find out about me and Ryan that way." I said looking down at my hands.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked looking at me.

"I guess I was afraid of how you would act." I said laughing at the irony of my statement. Jake laughed too.

"Why Ryan?"

"Honestly I have no idea. There is just something about him."

"Like that he is insane?" Jake asked laughing.

"No, that's not what I meant. I feel different with him, but a good different. Like I found my other half kind of different." I said.

"I can't understand what you see in him." Jake said.

"I'm not asking you to. I'm just asking you to accept it." I told him as I reached up and rested my hand on his shoulder.

"Well I guess I could do that." He said, he checked his watch then and hopped down off the tailgate, I did the same.

"Hey, Max and I were going to meet up with Baja and go get something to drink. Do you want to come?" he asked smiling at me. I checked my phone I had maybe twenty minutes left before I was supposed to meet up with Ryan.

So if I went with Jake I would be cutting it really close, but I did want to go. As long as I didn't stay to long I would be okay. I told Jake I would go but that I couldn't stay long. I followed Max to the coffee shop and then followed them inside. Baja was already there and she had a friend with her.

We all sat down and talked for a while before my phone rang. I answered it without looking at the number.

"Hello" I answered still laughing from something Max had said.

"Where are you baby you're twenty minutes late?" Ryan's voice said on the other line. I quickly left the table and walked over to the counter.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry baby I lost track of time. I'm leaving right now okay I'll be there in five minutes."

"Okay I'll see you when you get here." Ryan said before ending the call. I was about to turn around and head back to the table to say goodbye when Max walked up next to me.

"Hey could you tell everyone bye for me I have to go." I said but Max wasn't paying attention to me his eyes were glued to his phone. "Earth to Max" I said waving my hand in front of his face. He looked up at me then a huge smile on his face.

"What?" I asked. He held his phone up so I could see the screen. It was an anonymous text saying the beat down was tomorrow night at club zero. My heart lurched. My eyes went straight to Jake and then to my phone. Ryan would know by now to.

"Jake man come here." Max said getting Jakes attention. Jake stood up and walked over to where we were standing.

"I have to go." I said before rushing out to my car and speeding off in the direction of Ryan's house.

When I got to Ryan's house I noticed that there were at least six cars, if not more, parked out front. I walked up to the front door and just let myself in. I heard laughter coming from out back so I headed out the back doors.

When I finally found everybody I noticed that there had to be at least twenty people there. Most of them were girls in there barely there bikinis and several of them we staring at Ryan. Who was working out with Eric and Aaron, I think that's his name, over near the bar.

"Hey baby" I said as I walked over to Ryan. He stopped his workout long enough to pull me to him and capture my lips with his. After we broke apart Ryan went back to his workout while I walked over to the bar. There was an older man probably around fifty mixing drinks and I would bet my life savings that he was Ryan's dad. Not two seconds later Mr. McCarthy offered Aaron a drink, which he politely declined.

"Come on, don't be a sissy, have a drink with me…" he started but Ryan cut him off.

"Dad, I think we're good." Ryan said stopping his workout again. I watched then as Ryan's dad got right up into his face. I couldn't hear what he was saying but I did see him smack Ryan. He said something else and then went inside the house.

I walked over to where Ryan was. He just stood there, like he was lost in thought. I moved closer to him and placed a soft kiss on his shoulder. He looked at me then. I smiled at him and then kissed his cheek where his dad had slapped him. He put his arms around me then. He held me for a few seconds before Eric opened his big mouth.

"You guys hear about Jake Tyler dropping out of the beat down." Ryan pulled away from me then.

"What, why?" he asked moving towards Aaron and Eric.

"Probably doesn't want to get his ass beat again." Aaron said laughing.

"Not the word on the street." I heard Eric mumble under his breath.

"Oh really, well what is the word on the street?" Ryan asked his words harsh. He emphasized his point by hitting Eric on the chest after every word. Eric didn't say anything instead a girl sitting at the bar did.

"Word on the street is that he can kick your ass." She said smiling, but her smile vanished the second she saw the look on Ryan's face. He was beyond pissed now. A few minutes later Ryan led me inside, and then out to my car.

"Me and the guys are going to be training tonight and most of tomorrow so I doubt you want to be here for that." He said smiling at me.

"Okay will you do something for me though?" I asked him as I leaned back onto my car, pulling him close to me.

"Anything" he said his lips inches away from mine.

"Since I won't get to see you tonight…." I said putting emphasis on the word see, "will you at least call me?" I asked before leaning as close as I could to his lips without touching them. He smirked at me.

"Yes mam" he said chuckling softly before pressing his lips to mine. My hands ran down his amazing skin. He broke the kiss after a few minutes.

"Talk to you later baby" He said before kissing my lips once more and turning to head back into the house. I watched him walk away and then climbed into my truck and drove home. I spent the rest of my day doing my homework and then cleaning up my room. At about eleven I finally called it a night and climbed into my bed.

My head had only just hit my pillow when a pair of bright lights shone through my window. I climbed out of bed and walked over to look outside. I smiled when I saw Ryan's black suv parked outside. I ran over to my dresser and grabbed the new lingerie I had just bought and the matching silk robe.

I ran into the bathroom and changed quickly. I fixed my hair and threw on a little makeup before heading back out into my room. Thankfully my brother was gone for the night. I went to lie down but decided to instead meet him downstairs. I walked halfway down the stairs but stopped when I saw him walk inside. He was wearing his white shorts like he had been earlier but this time he was wearing a black shirt as well. He smiled when he saw me.

"Took you long enough" I joked. Then slowly untied the belt that held my robe closed. His eyes locked on mine and I watched him as I let the robe open and then slide off my body only to pool at my feet. I knew the black lace had been a good choice because I could see the desire etched across his face.

I watched him as he walked up the stairs towards me, his eyes still locked on mine. When he reached me he swooped down and picked me up bridal style before carrying me to my room. When we reached my bed he laid me down carefully before pulling his shirt off over his head and kicking off his shoes. He lay down on top of me then our lips only inches apart.

"I love you Ryan" I told him.

"I love you too Amanda" he said before pressing his lips to mine. That night was the most amazing night of my life. If only I had known what tomorrow would bring.


	6. Chapter 6

I woke up the next morning to find Ryan gone, but he had left a note on his pillow. I opened it and smiled as I read it. _Last night was amazing. I love you more than you will ever know. I am training this morning, but I will see you tonight at the beat down. Love, Ryan_. My heat was soaring as I crawled out of bed and went to take a shower. By the time I was done it was already almost noon. As I was getting dressed my phone rang, it was Ryan.

"Hey baby" I said as I answered.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked me.

"Of course, I actually just got up. What are you doing?"

"Nothing much just hanging out with the guys right now, we're taking a break from training. Hey baby listen I have to go I'll see you tonight okay." He said.

"Yeah, okay. I love you."

"I love you too" he ended the call then but the weird thing was that I could have sworn that I heard him say Max's name before he hung up. I sat my phone down and finished getting ready. When I was done I grabbed my phone and called Jake.

"Hello" he answered.

"Hey it's me what are you up to today?" I asked as I grabbed my keys and headed downstairs.

"Nothing much just hanging out with Baja and Charlie, you want to come over?" he asked.

"Sure I'll see you in a few." I said before hanging up.

I headed outside and climbed into my car, driving off in the direction of Jake's apartment. I was truly happy for the first time in my life, but for some reason I couldn't get the thought of Ryan saying Max's name out of my head.

"How do you win every time?" Jake asked Charlie, laughing as he tossed his card down on the table.

"Well it is a thinking man's game." Charlie told him smiling as he gathered his chips. Baja and I laughed as well. We had been playing cards for a while now and it was almost time for me to leave to head to club zero for the beat down.

There was a knock on the door then and Jake got up to answer it. When he didn't come back I got up and followed him. I heard someone running and when I looked over the railing to see what had happened I felt like I would be sick. Jake was on the ground crouching over a severely beaten Max. I heard tires screeching and I looked up just in time to see Ryan's suv pull out of the parking lot at full speed.

"Baja call 911!" I yelled before running down the stairs and falling to my knees next to Max's unconscious form.

"Ryan did this." Jake said through clenched teeth.

"I know" I said, still trying to wrap my head around the idea.

"The ambulance will be here in five minutes." Baja shouted down to us, her eyes frozen on Max's bruised face. The ambulance arrived and took Max to the hospital while the rest of us, except for Charlie, piled into my truck and followed them. The doctor told us that Max had several broken ribs, a broken nose, and needed a couple of stitches but that he would make a full recovery. As we were standing there next to Max's bed I saw Jake come to a decision about something.

"I'm going to need to borrow your car." he told Max before grabbing his keys and leaving the room.

"Jake!" Baja yelled as she ran after him. I stood there a moment longer and then followed them.

"You're giving him exactly what he wants." I heard Baja say as I made it outside where they were standing.

"Who's next huh? You, Amanda, Charlie?" Jake asked.

"Jake walking away and giving up are not the same thing." She said.

"Good because I'm not doing either one." Jake told her before turning and heading towards the bus stop.

"Baja take my keys, I'm going with him. You stay with Max." I said as I tossed her my keys and then ran after Jake. By the time I caught up to him he was already getting on the bus. We sat down next to each other and waited for our stop. I didn't dare try and start a conversation right now because I knew how Jake was feeling, and honestly I didn't really feel like talking.

When we reached our stop I followed Jake off the bus and across the street. I could see Max's car parked in front of the gym they both train at. We were about to get in when a man came over to Jake. He asked were Max was, and Jake told him. I zoned out on the rest of their conversation and instead of standing there climbed into the passenger seat of the car.

I saw Jake chase the man inside and then after a few minutes he came back outside. We drove to his apartment and I waited in the car for him to grab everything he needed. It didn't take him long and soon we were on our way to the club.

"Ryan's not going to like you showing up with me." Jake said. His jaw set and his eyes locked on the road.

"Right now I really don't care" I said as I watched the rain streaking down my window. When we reached the club Jake stopped me before we went inside.

"You don't have to go in with me, just hang back then go in alone." He said but I reached out and took his hand in mine.

"This isn't about me and Ryan, this is about you and Ryan. Tonight I'm on your side." I told him before he turned and led us inside. The club was packed to the brim and there was barely enough room to move.

"You go check in there is something I need to do first." I told Jake. I watched him turn towards the announcers stand on the back side of the room and give them his name. I pulled my phone out then, and typed a quick message to Ryan.

'Hey I'm here, where are you?' it only took him a second to respond.

'Next to DJ's booth' I glanced around the room and spotted the DJ after only a second.

It took me a few minutes to reach it but once I had it didn't take long to get to Ryan. He was dressed in his black shorts and had his tan jacket zipped up over his upper body. When he saw me he smiled and walked over to me taking my hands in his. He smiled widely and then spoke.

"Just in time for a good luck kiss." He said as he leaned in, but I turned my face away from him. I felt his hands tense around mine and when I looked at him I saw that his eyes were shut and his jaw was clenched.

"What's wrong babe?" he asked his voice just as tense as his body. My eyes met his then.

"I saw what you did Ryan."

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"I was at Jake's tonight. I was there when you and your buddies dropped Max off, he's going to be fine by the way just in case you were wondering."

"Baby I…" Ryan started but I cut him off.

"Ryan listen to me" I said as I placed on of my hands over his heart and the other on the side of his face. "I love you Ryan, more than anything in this world, but tonight I'm not here to support you." I said. I pressed my lips to his in a feather light kiss that was over in a second, and then turned around and walked away.

I found Jake back near where I had left him. He opened his mouth to say something but just as he did the announcer started up the fights. The first one didn't take very long and when it was time for the next fight Jake's name was called, and then so was Ryan's.

When the announcer said Ryan's name he cued the music and I watched from the edge of the matt as Ryan made his entrance. Of course he had to put on a show so when he walked out onto the matt he high fived everyone on one side and then grabbed one of the many girls standing there and hugged her.

After he let her go he turned and spotted me standing next to Jake. He looked at me for a second before smiling at the crowd again. He started unzipping his jacket then but he did it slowly and when he had it undone he pulled it off his body quickly, like he was unwrapping a present for every girl in the audience.

I had to admit the sight of Ryan's bare chest was very appealing and the fact that he was all mine made it even more appealing, but for some reason tonight I really didn't care. I wanted Jake to win, and I wanted Ryan to lose. At one point just as the ref was about to start the fight one of the guys running the fight stopped him.

Apparently the DJ had read the names wrong and it wasn't Jake fighting Ryan, not yet at least. Ryan said something to Jake but I couldn't hear what it was. Jake just looked at Ryan with a blank face and then walked off the matt and came to stand by me again. It seemed like all the fights flew by after that and next thing I knew Jake was fighting in one of the final fights of the tournament. I was standing close to where Jake was fighting when I saw the guy kick him hard in the ribs. Jake yelled out in pain, the guy had hurt him. I'm not sure how but Jake came back and won the fight even though I could tell he was in allot of pain.

I watched him as he walked off the matt his arm clutching his side in pain. He walked back into the kitchen of the club letting the door swing closed behind him. I saw the ref go after him but he came back out only seconds later. I was still watching the door he had disappeared through when I saw Baja walk through them, no doubt going to look for Jake.

I hadn't been paying attention to Ryan or the fight he was currently participating in but I did turn around when I heard them announce his disqualification for an illegal move. I saw Jake come back out then, Baja close beside him. I wasn't close enough to where they were to get his attention so I just had to wait, and hope that he noticed that Ryan was no longer in the competition.

Of course he finally did notice and right after the ref started the fight between Jake and some guy who definitely wasn't Ryan Jake reached down and tapped out without even throwing a single punch. I smiled and then headed towards the exit to meet up with him and Baja. We left the club but we hadn't made it out into the parking lot very far before Ryan burst out through the doors behind us.

"What the hell was that?" Ryan asked Jake, his temper rising.

"This was about me and you. I don't care about some tournament." Jake said before turning around. Ryan, not liking his answer, jumped him throwing him down onto the ground in the middle of a small group of cars. The fight moved quickly, of course that might be because the only bits of it I watched was from between my fingers. Near the end Ryan had Jake in a headlock and everyone could tell that Jake was starting to lose consciousness.

"Ryan stop it!" I heard Baja scream, tears pouring down her face. It was no use though he wasn't going to stop until Jake either passed out or tapped out and I knew that Jake would never give Ryan the satisfaction of him giving up. Then all of a sudden Jakes arm came up and pulled Ryan to the ground. They fought for a few more seconds before Jake delivered a round kick that hit Ryan square in the jaw.

Ryan dropped like a rock.


	7. Chapter 7

My heart lurched and I stayed glued to the spot until Jake spoke to me when he finally reached us.

"Go to him." he said, and that was all the encouragement I needed. I rushed over to Ryan's side dropping to my knees next to him. I ran my fingers over his bloody face lightly.

"Ryan? Baby talk to me." he just groaned and all I could do was smile at him through my tears.

Aaron and Eric picked him up then and loaded him into the backseat of his suv. I crawled in with them and cradled his head in my lap the whole way back to his house. They carried him up to his room and carefully laid him down on his bed.

"I got it from here guys." I told them. They just nodded and then left the room. I carefully removed Ryan's shorts, leaving him in his boxer briefs and then pulled the blankets up to cover him. I went into his bathroom and got a washcloth and dampened it under the water faucet.

I carefully washed the blood off his face, trying to be as gentle as possible. When I was finished I sat the washcloth on his bedside table and stood up to dig my cell out of my pocket. I was going to have Baja come and get me, but as I went to dial Ryan grabbed my hand to stop me.

"Stay" he asked his voice weaker than normal. I knew he was hurting so I decided to stay with him. He needed me now more than ever. I slipped off my jeans and my slightly damp t-shirt and crawled into bed with him. I carefully moved as close as I could to his body without hurting him and laid my head down on his chest, my arm resting protectively across his stomach.

"Amanda" he said my name so softly that I almost didn't hear him.

"Yeah?" I asked leaning up to look at him. His tired blue eyes met mine and I could see his emotions as the churned away under the surface.

"I'm sorry about what I did to Max." he said and in that moment I knew he was truly sorry for what he had done. I didn't say anything instead I leaned in and pressed my lips to his as softly as I could.

"I love you, you know that right?" I said looking into his eyes.

"I love you too, more than anything." He told me as I rested my head on his chest again.

After that night everything went back to normal, well almost normal at least. Jake and Ryan still weren't best friends but they were at least civil to each other. Max was still the same old goofball he had always been. As for me, well I had found the love of my life in the most unexpected way.


End file.
